Essential oils for tummy issues. I have had a couple of clients with some minor tummy issues recently and I would like to look at these here. Along with the possible essential oils and blends that can be helpful to alleviate the problem.
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From the Monday 3rd to Friday 7th June, we will be running a different deal on each day. The code for each unique promotion will last 24 hours, but it will change everyday at midnight.
We don’t want to spoil the surprise of all the amazing offers we will doing, but for example, one day could be a discount on particular items, then the next could be a free gift with each order!
It’s up to you whether to order on one day, or whether you wait until another day to see if it’s an offer more suited to you!
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We are very close to finishing our 2019 Comfrey harvest. A warm, dry spell brought the herbs up to being ready for harvest quickly this year, but then the cold, wet weather came in and we were delayed starting due to this.
Actually this is the first year that we have been up against the constant wet weather. In years past there has always been plenty of dry days that have allowed us fairly easily to get the harvest completed. I do have to juggle with other business commitments, that sometimes do end up being on a dry day, which is extremely frustrating. However, after some concentrated efforts and great help from family, we have managed to get it within a few litres of completion. So that feels very good.
The comfrey herbs this year are small, due to the warm spell bringing the flowers out before the plant had grown to its full height. We wild harvest the comfrey and we only use the leaf of the plant for our comfrey oil. The leaves however are in very good condition and will produce a good quality comfrey macerate. I use organic sunflower to macerate the comfrey and I use a cold process maceration. No heat is applied and the process is entirely natural.
When harvesting we are careful to pick only the best quality leaves, free from insects, complete, undamaged, new growth, no older leaves. They are all green, juicy , luscious looking leaves.
We pick in a private piece of ground in Aberdeenshire, that is protected from the use of fertilisers and pesticides. There is visually no difference in the environment during or after the harvest. The bees and butterflies who love comfrey are undisturbed and unaffected as they love the flowers, which remain untouched.
We use the comfrey oil from this comfrey harvest 2019 in our Scottish comfrey range of artisan skincare products, which are some of our best sellers. Comfrey has been used since ancient times for skin issues and was known as ‘knit bone’ and ‘woundwort’.
I recently did The Allergy Show at the SEC in Glasgow and had a lot of people looking at the essential oils and asking questions about oils that they had bought and advice on what to look for when buying them. So I thought it would be helpful to give some information on this at this subject here.
We will examine what to look for when buying essential oils to ensure that you are getting the best therapeutic quality.
1. Essential oils should be in a dark coloured glass bottle to protect from light.
2. There should be a dropper to dispense the oils safely.
3. If you see the words fragrance oil or similar, it is probably a synthetic blend not a pure essential oil and so will have no therapeutic value. Look for ‘essential oil’ on the label.
4. Price is another likely indicator of quality, if all the oils in the shop or online are the same price, again they are unlikely to be of therapeutic grade. Due to the hugely diverse nature of: method of extraction; availability/success of harvest; the quantity of the plant required to make an essential oil, prices will be widely different. Sweet orange – easily obtained and extracted by expression, is more economic, whereas rose needs around 4,000kg of petals to obtain1 kg of oil, and so is at the upper end of the price scale.
5. The latin name of the plant (and any chemotypes, if relevant) should appear on the label on the bottle, this is important as there are many different varieties of some oils, eg lavender & eucalyptus, that have varying therapeutic uses and safety considerations.
6. Check the best before date – citrus oils (and some others) have shorter shelf lives, while base note oils such as patchouli have longer lives. Some oils degrade after a time eg black pepper, and change their use therapeutically . So it is always best to buy in small amounts.
7. If you are recommended to use the essential oils for internal use, ensure that the person selling them has completed a full course on essential oils for internal use and is insured for this (and/or is working directly with your GP/Clinician). This is an entirely different qualification and is usually not included in aromatherapy training here in the UK.
These are general suggestions, there are more detailed information which affects quality such as; the country of origin, the colour and texture of the essential oils. When buying for my business to supply you, I am very particular, dealing with only a few trusted suppliers. I also like to know how the oils are produced, ie that they come from an ethical supplier and of course I require an organic certification to stock them within my businsss.
These are a few baseline things that you should find helpful when looking for a good quality, therapeutic essential oil, but I am delighted to help with any further or more detailed queries that you may have. Just email me at: jacqui @ organicaj.co.uk
Welcome to another of Organica J’s Top Ten Uses! Here I focus on 10 helpful uses for Lavender essential oil. Remember there are a lot of varieties of lavender, which have different properties and scents. Here we are talking on the variety lavandula angustifolia (true lavender). I have found after much experimenting with other varieties from various countries, to use a French lavender, which I personally like best for therapeutic use and in my products for what I need from its properties, and with its soft, but powerful fragrance.
Lavender is an aromatic evergreen shrub and the oil is made by steam distillation of the flowering tops. It is colourless or pale yellow in colour.
I use lavender in many of my products, such as my Gardener’s Hand Balm, Restful Evening Bath & Body Oil and Pulse Point Roller Ball , Lavender and Lavender flower Soap as well as being one of the ingredients in my Meditation Essential Oil Blend. It blends so well with many oils. I have used it recently in therapy blended with roman chamomile, sweet orange and ylang.
There are many different uses for lavender oil, it has been used for a long time for numerous things, but I include what I view as my top 10 uses.
1. Can reduce stress levels.
2. For insomnia and disturbed sleep.
3. Relief from muscular aches and pains.
4. Can calm anxiety & eases fears.
5. Easing headaches (rub one drop on temples) .
6. Very helpful for minor burns.
7. Relief from colds and flu.
8. A good insect repellant.
9. Helpful for pmt and menstrual cramps.
10. Can provide relief from sunburned skin.
If you feel that lavender would be a useful oil for you, you can buy it here. There is also available a full range of other aromatherapy essential oils, with information on their uses available in the essential oil category on the website. If you require further information on any oils, feel free to contact us by email or phone.
For using essential oils for specific or complex medical problems always contact a qualified aromatherapist or your GP.
